CPA is a part of Virachey National Park (VNP) that located in the north of Cambodia, CPA is very important for indigenous communities who are currently living nearby the VNP. Inside the CPA, the community is able to collect NTFP which is based on their by-laws bidding and management plan.
The CPA committee member was selected by their community member thru election at the community level and there are many multi-stakeholders engaged in the CPA committee selection event, those stakeholders are including, commune and village authority, and representatives from the Provincial Department of Environment (PDoE). The CPA committee members were officially recognized by the commune councilor. However, the CPA committee’s structure clearly states the committee’s role in term of patrolling, accountant, education and admin’s work. We conducted the Training Need Assessment (TNA) as the first stage in order to ensure their requirement of the knowledge for supporting CPA’s work, particularly the way how to manage and use for a sustainable way. Review the existing legal biddings such as management plans and by-laws which were established by the local community member under-supported technical from PDoE and NGO, the documents of management plan and by-laws were recognized by the MoE and provincial authority. By-laws and management plans are very highly important for the community’s benefit because the forest of CPA contributes to the community’s income and livelihood. The forest cover can covert for selling the carbon credit. Besides of carbon selling, the NTFP products such as cobra mushrooms and Malva nut fruit are high value for contributing to the community’s livelihood.
It was very important that all CPA members understand the CPA’s by-laws and management plan; so that all CPA members were ganged to receive that information, which is a part of the contribution to community engagement in term of CPA management for sustainable use.
